Chef chases change and growth with Sushi Hil

Article content

Sushi Hil

Where: 3330 Main Street, Vancouver

Article content

Article content

When: Lunch and dinner, Monday to Saturday.

Info and reservations: 236-482-9060. sushihil.com

As a Sagittarian ruled by fire, Hilary Nguy is supposedly in constant pursuit of change and growth.

Yes and no — he was a co-owner and chef at Temaki Sushi for 20 long years. But the restaurant did change a lot from its humble beginnings in 2003 as a small sushi bar, doubling in size and creating a menu with something for everyone. Temaki was all about improving every year, he says.

During COVID-19, Temaki reached a summit of sales with their takeout program.

“Last year, we hit an all-time sales record,” Nguy says.

So why in the world would he sell his share to his partner at its peak moment last June? Change and growth.

“I really wanted to do what’s me, using what I learned through the years and focusing,” the chef and owner of Sushi Hil says.

Article content

And what he wanted to laser focus on was sushi.

In Grade 7, Nguy decided cooking was his life and took cafeteria cooking courses, then worked at Japanese restaurants once he turned 19.

“Everything about the sushi bar -— the atmosphere, the artistic side of fish, knife skills, the challenge — intrigued me. I fell right into it,” Nguy says.

“Temaki, was such a big operation. Towards the end, I wasn’t cooking much, I was managing. People know good fish and sushi and I wanted to be part of that trend and I wanted it to be approachable.”

Nguy’s new restaurant is a block from the Pizza Hut where he worked in high school. Sushi Hil, in a bright, compact space with wishbone chairs and graphics by his friend Wayne Low of Kartoon Kreative, is about sushi, sashimi and about a dozen zensai or starters. He’s created a bright, welcoming space and you’ll find him behind the sushi counter.

Article content

From the appies, I tried a delicate, silky textured chawanmushi. It takes the right eggs, the right temperature and good quality dashi, he says. You can add torched foie gras to top the chawanmushi if you please. Spinach ohitashi, presented in a tidy, straight bundle, sat in dashi broth. Miso soup had depth and balance.

Nguy says he tries to source quality seafood from local and international sources. Angel Seafood and True World distributors are two main sources for Japanese seafood he depends on for consistency. He uses Ora king salmon from New Zealand, often considered the “wagyu beef of the sea world” — a lovely product. Dungeness crab, spot prawns and geoduck are local.

“I’d say we’re known for the Nagasaki bluefin tuna,” Nguy says.

Article content

It’s farmed bluefin and he serves the three distinct parts as sashimi — otoro, the melt-in-mouth, fatty belly; akami, commonly found atop nigiri or in sushi rolls; and chutoro, which has the tenderness of otoro and the slightly more bitter flavour of akami. It’s also available as a set as maki rolls.

The sashimi, nigiri and rolled sushi that I tried didn’t disappoint — the seafood is fresh, clean and oceany. The menu offers sushi ‘sets’ like maki, chirashi and nigiri. I tried the vegetarian Garden Set with maki rolls with yuba, or bean curd skin, standing in for nori. Avocado, mango and shiso were tucked inside and they were crowned with a slice of radish and chopped veggies and fruit. The wasabi that comes with the seafood sushi is real, but Nguy buys it from Japan, grated and frozen.

Article content

You might notice RM Imperial Gold Caviar on the sushi menu — that’s RM for Roger Ma, exec chef of Boulevard restaurant.

“He’s an ambassador for the brand,” Nguy says.

And here’s another Vancouver restaurant connection — Nguy is the sushi consultant for Cactus Club and has been since they put sushi on the menu, about five years ago. 

SIDE DISHES: A few books for cooks to help get meals on the table

• Where the River Narrows: Why wouldn’t anyone want to cook Vancouver’s Michelin star chef J.C. Poirier’s beautiful food?

Where The River Narrows references his Quebec roots and the Algonquin meaning for ‘kebec,’ where the St. Lawrence River does actually narrow. The book is a mix of Quebecois and French recipes and include easy comfort dishes like Poulet a la creme, which sounds incredibly intriguing because in the headnote,

Article content

Poirier says it’s a favourite amongst chefs including his mentor, Rob Feenie, who “could eat it every day for the rest of his life.”

And yes, there is that dish close to every Quebecer’s heart, tourtière. Every family has their own tweak — in the Poirier family, it’s made with venison.

I dare you to attempt the pâté en croûte au canard et noisettes by the masterful Colin Johnson, who makes the restaurant’s terrines and pâté en croûtes.

“Clear the decks,” Johnson says, describing it as a long weekend project to be rewarded with high fives aplenty.

Me, I’m keen to make the cod quenelles with mussels and normande sauce — I’ve had it at the restaurant and loved it. As Poirier says, it’s like biting into a cloud.

• Canada’s Food Island: “Prince Edward Island is a giant green farm floating in the deep blue sea, fringed by white sandy beaches and stuffed tip-to-tip with authentic food stories. We are a place of flavour,” says P.E.I. celebrity chef Michael Smith, introducing a quintessential Canadian cookbook.

Article content

Canada’s Food Island, edited by Kaley Butler, is a collection of more than 100 recipes and stories of the farmers, fishers and artisans who offer recipes such as potato chocolate cake and potato pizza — hail to P.E.I. potatoes.

Steak and lobster dill cream sauce recognizes the premium beef coming off the island and the abundance of seafood. And really, best of all, royalties from the book will be donated to P.E.I. food banks.

The cookbook was No. 1 on Amazon for Canadian books upon its release in the fall. 

• The Food Substitutions Bible: A good book that’ll save trips to the grocer for that one missing ingredient.

Food Substitutions Bible (Robert Rose) by David Joachim, for example, tells you how to make your own baking powder and what to do if your cupboard’s bare of betel leaf (Chinese broccoli, Boston lettuce or bok choy will do you) or evaporated milk (try half and half, light cream or whipping cream) or jackfruit (potatoes, summer squash, or papaya can pinch hit). No whisky for that prune, whisky and chocolate pudding? Cognac, brandy or rum will happily jump in. Ingredients are alphabetized to be handy and dandy.

miastainsby@gmail.com

twitter.com/miastainsby

instagram.com/miastainsby

vancouversun.com/tag/word-of-mouth-blog/

More news, fewer ads: Our in-depth journalism is possible thanks to the support of our subscribers. For just $3.50 per week, you can get unlimited, ad-lite access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Vancouver Sun | The Province.